I mentally shook off the fog and grogginess. Lifting my head, I let my eyes adjust, focusing on the scruffy, dirty men standing three feet in front of me in the shadows of a small hunting cabin lit with lanterns. They were all big and burly, wearing hunting outfits and holding rifles. One man held his rifle pointed at me. The barrel looked big enough to take down big, exotic game.
“You look strong, but that gun has got to be heavy. Why don’t you put it down and untie my hands?”
“What were you doin’ in our woods in the middle of the night?” The biggest man of the bunch stepped forward with his arms crossed over his barrel chest. Red flannel peeked out from behind his camouflage coat. A damn lumberjack is holding me hostage!
“I was trying to make a phone call before you so rudely interrupted me.” I could practically taste the lust wafting off these guys.
“It’s not safe for a pretty lady out here in the middle of nowhere—alone.” This from a whining, smaller guy standing just behind the big man’s shoulder. He sneered with his hands stuffed in his pants pockets.
“Okay, listen. How about you stop playing pocket pool and let me go? I’m not here to entertain you. With you horny lot, I’m guessing nothing is safe out here: woman, man, deer, hog. Probably all fair game if it’s got the right hole.”
Something about this situation brought out the worst in me. I couldn’t seem to control my tongue! Plus, I was already agitated from being stuck in that cabin with cranky vampires. These guys picked the wrong woman to mess with.
“Listen up, bitch!” the man with the gun stomped forward and jabbed the barrel into my boob. Seriously, that’s my boob! I glared at him, my lip twitching into a sneer. “You’re gonna keep yer mouth shut, or we’ll hafta gag you. I don’t know where you came from, but this is our lucky night. Not so much yours, I s’pose.”
He grinned and I saw several gaps in his yellow teeth.
“That’s right, lady,” the big guy said. “You’re going to keep us busy for a while. I reckon we can keep you alive for a few weeks while we have our fun. Ain’t no one around these parts to hear you scream either, so…”
“Didn’t you notice the campgrounds are occupied now?” These men didn’t scare me, but my temper was flaring, and it took all I had to keep it contained. Might as well have a little fun with these perverted idiots. They shouldn’t have interrupted my damn phone call.
“Don’t you worry about them city folk,” said the gun pointer. “We can take care of them.”
I shook my head and smirked, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out in a long-suffering sigh. “You really have no idea what kind of shit you stepped in here.”
The rifle barrel jerked toward my face. “You got that backwards, lady.”
With a closed-lip grin and a cocked eyebrow, I looked into the eyes of each man. My brazenness unnerved them and they each took a step back, bumping shoulders and stepping on toes.
Now that they were on edge, uncertain, I figured I would ramp things up.
A slow tearing sound came from behind me as I took my time with the rope. The men glanced at each other confused. The guy with his gun aimed started to waver a bit and the others gripped their own rifles more soundly. They were starting to feel fear, but they didn’t know why and refused to show it.
My teeth lengthened as the rope fell away from my wrists. Cool! Didn’t know my teeth could do that without me being hungry. Wait… Am I hungry? Does it matter? These assholes abducted me. If I weren’t a vampire, I might have been unconscious for hours, and who knows what disgusting things they would have done to me.
I brought my hands around at lightning speed and gave the men a wide open-mouthed smile.
All four men jumped back, bashing into the wall behind them. The roar of a rifle filled the cabin and I flew back over the chair with buckshot slamming into my chest.
The force of the shot shoved me back against the opposite wall. I lay there stunned, anger numbing the pain. That sonofabitch shot me!
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I croaked, feeling the last of my restraint vanish. “You were just going to be a snack, but now you’ve really pissed me off…”
Red flooded my vision. The sounds of hearts racing and blood pumping made me salivate.
“What the fuck?” the big guy yelled.
“What is she?” the puny man whined.
“Is that what they was asking about in town t’other day?” I didn’t recognize that voice, assuming it was the fourth man.
“Well, he asked if we’d seen anything strange. I s’pose this would be what he meant.”
With the lead shot pushing its way out of my body, I rose on a gust of air. The men stood facing each other and arguing, probably figuring I was too injured to move.
“Sorry, boys, but I killed that guy.”
They all stopped and turned my way, eyes huge and jaws hanging.
A small thunk drew their attention to the plank floor beneath me. The men gaped as the lead balls fell from my body. Before they had a chance to think, I blasted them with a burst of air, plastering them to the wall.
They yelped and groaned as they hit, the whites showing in their eyes. I kept a gale-force wind on them so they couldn’t move or speak.
“You boys really should be more careful about the game you hunt. Sometimes, it might be hungrier than you.”
In an instant, I stopped the wind, formed spears and slammed them into the bellies of each of the men before they could drop to the floor. Their screams rang in my ears like a sweet melody.
As the hunters writhed, I reversed the flow of air and flung the man who’d shot me to my feet. Without thinking of how I was doing it, I lifted him up to face me. His hands clung to his gushing wound and I reached out to grab his shoulders, crushing him against my chest. His head was forced down to expose his neck, and I sunk my teeth into the tender skin.
My vision darkened as his blood flowed down my gulping throat. The tiny wounds in my chest began to close. My eyelids sunk as I savored the sweet, yet slightly bitter taste of the man’s liquid essence. Not even his rancid scent could repel me from this well-deserved feeding.
Movement across the room caused me to stop a moment. The big guy—probably the toughest of the bunch—attempted to crawl toward the kitchenette. I thrust my hands out, one sending a blast at the other two men, and the other drawing the big guy to me.
I bet he tastes yummy.
I ripped my teeth from the neck in front of me, thrusting the body away with my mind, and held my arms open to accept the big guy in a bear hug.
“No!” he screamed as my teeth sunk into him.
He struggled and I realized I hadn’t been using coercion like Kat had taught me. Not that these guys deserved to enjoy this euphoric experience. Instead, I channeled my rage and slammed it down the mental tether created by the feeding.
Big guy stiffened then slumped as he fainted. The body at my feet twitched, so I tossed it over with the other men. The blood sliding over my tongue tasted decadent, filling me with warmth and soothing my aches. My head and chest no longer hurt.
Even knowing I had two more bodies to splurge on, I couldn’t let the big man go until I had taken every last drop. I delighted in each delicious swallow. My head felt sort of full and my body began to relax.
When I couldn’t draw any more blood from the man, I licked away any traces remaining on his skin then let him drop away. His body slumped and fell like a tree in the forest, landing with a quiet thump.
My tongue swiped over my lips. I felt lazy like a cat, too blood drunk to care that I had killed again. I slowly glanced around the cabin, taking in the minute details. My eyes swept over to the other men, but they were gone.
Irritation cleared my head and I searched the room. Nothing but some ratty furniture and a wood stove remained. I glanced over the breakfast bar into the kitchenette and spotted an open door.
Beyond lay the dark of night. I moved to the door and hovered in the threshold, scanning the yard. T
he sliver of moonlight was all I needed to see by. Everything was clear as day.
Movement at the edge of the trees drew me in that direction. I floated near a neatly stacked pile of firewood and stared down at the man who’d shot me. He crawled a few feet behind the other two who stumbled along, holding their bellies. They made pained noises that only delighted me.
I giggled. The three men halted, looking over their shoulders at me. The wide-eyed looks of terror amused me, and I couldn’t hold back the beaming grin.
“Mercy!”
I spun around, frowning. Kat and Benjamin stood among the trees along the other side of the yard. They stared at me with wonder. A faint sense of annoyance and curiosity came through my bond with Kat, but it was barely there. I cocked my head, scowling at the strangeness of not feeling her ever-presence in my head.
They trudged through the yard and stopped in front of me. My lips pinched as I puzzled over the fact that Kat and Benjamin were looking up at me. What the hell?
“Mercy.” Benjamin crossed his arms and leaned his weight on one leg. His head tilted, almost touching his shoulder. His mouth twisted into a crooked smirk. “How are you hovering in the air like that?”
Chapter Four
“What do you mean?” I looked down and gasped. “Oh, shit!”
“What have you been doing, Mercy?” Kat sounded skeptical as she narrowed her eyes at me.
Crunching sounds behind me indicated the men were continuing their escape. I glanced over my shoulder, then back at my clanmates. The men wouldn’t be able to get far.
“Damn, girly.” Benjamin smiled broadly. “Your eyes are glowing like lavender spotlights.” He held up his hand to his eyes as if to ward off a bright light.
“Seriously?” I blinked and looked down at the ground. Sure enough, it looked like weak flashlights shined on the dry grass. “That’s so cool!”
Kat sighed. “Mercy, what’s going on? Why didn’t I feel you getting so far away from me? How did you do that?”
“I… don’t really know.” I peered off into the trees, watching the men out of the corner of my eye. “I snuck out but didn’t go far enough to pull on our bond. Haven’t you noticed it seems to be loosening or lengthening, or whatever?”
“We’ve been cooped up in such a small space, I thought I was just feeling numb to it. I still sense you.”
“Yeah, I still sense your emotions, but it’s more like it’s only happening when you send something directly at me. I don’t feel you so constant, but I hadn’t really paid much attention since we’re basically up each other’s asses most of the time.”
“Lovely.” Kat rolled her eyes and scowled. “We need to discuss this, and this—” she waved a hand at me “—with Edgar.”
“What’s happened to cause this new power?” Benjamin asked.
“And, what are you doing with those men?” Kat casually pointed at the slowly escaping hunters.
“Well, I was minding my own business when they bashed me over the head and brought me here. Wherever the hell here is.”
“You’re halfway down the mountain.” Kat cocked an eyebrow at me. “The bond should have prevented you from getting this far, even if someone else was moving you.”
“When I came to, I was tied up in that hovel—” I pointed at the shack then turned to the men “—and those guys were looking at me like they just got out of prison and hadn’t gotten a piece of ass in twenty years.”
“Classy, Mercy.” Kat glared at me with lips pinched in a thin line.
“Sorry, not sorry.” I jerked my head in the direction of the men. “They were planning to keep me captive for weeks while they used me like a blow-up doll. I’m a bit grumpy.”
Benjamin snorted.
“Obviously, when they told me that I got pissed off. Plus, I’ve got a bit of pent-up irritation from sitting around that cabin, bored to death, with nothing to do. I thought I’d have a little fun.”
“So you’re playing with your food?” Kat grimaced but started walking toward the direction the men had gone.
“Why not? They were going to rape me, and one of them even shot me! Besides, apparently giving in to my urges leads to some interesting new powers. Can you do anything like this?” I swept my hand at my dangling feet, suddenly wondering how the hell I would get down.
“No, but it may be inherited. Let’s deal with your runaway meal.”
“Did you leave us any?” Benjamin chuckled as he sauntered to the trees.
“Well, they might have sprung some leaks, but you might be able to suck a few drops from them.” I looked down, flicking my eyes side to side. Now, how do I move?
My body jerked forward a few inches. Woah! That’s crazy. Do I just think about moving? I lurched forward again, a little farther this time. “Huh.”
Turning my head in the direction I wanted to go, I focused on going that way. Whatever magic held me in the air, propelled me forward.
At first, it was like learning to drive a car with lots of stuttering movement, but nearly barreling over Kat made me learn quick. When she swatted at me, I soared up into the canopy, reveling in the sense of freedom this new power gave me. Part of that might have also been the drunkenness I still felt from draining the lumberjack and drinking from the shooter.
Sensing the men nearby, I flew back down but kept floating. It was too much fun! The three of us stayed silent, prowling after our prey. Kat went to the left, I went to the right, and Benjamin went straight ahead. The men must have thought splitting up would give them a better chance. Idiots.
Fifteen feet ahead of me, the shooter stumbled from tree to tree, falling to his knees with a grunt every few feet. I followed him from a distance, occasionally letting him see me hovering. The sight of me floating brought a delightful squeal from him each time.
From Kat’s direction, I heard her man yell. Rustling nearby alerted me to Benjamin’s guy getting close. I gave myself a mental push, getting closer to my hunter.
Fifty or sixty feet away, the second man picked his way through the dark, heading toward my guy. The scent of their blood mixed with the earthiness of the forest and the pine of the towering trees.
Benjamin stalked his man silently, somehow avoiding all the bushy undergrowth that announced the hunters’ passage. His black hair and dark clothes made him nearly invisible, but the hunter still looked over his shoulder with a look of stark terror.
“Who’s there?” my man asked in a loud whisper.
I bit back a laugh at his wasted efforts to keep me from hearing him.
“John? Where are you, man? It’s me, Rick.” The other guy walked with his arms out, trying to find his friend. Oh, look, zombie snack.
“Over here, help me. That monster is right behind me. She’s fuckin’ flying!”
Just before the guy could reach his friend, a dagger zipped through the night, sticking with a loud thud into the man’s back. He fell on his face with a screech. Benjamin appeared suddenly, standing over his prey with a satisfied smile.
I shot forward, thrusting my body through the air and latching onto my target. The hunter, John, yelped and I felt the fight drain out of him. He looked over his shoulder at me with resignation in his eyes. I almost pitied him.
“If only I could share this moment with all the sexual predators of the world. I’d save so many victims from the nightmare of men like you.” I shook my head, giving him a look of disappointment that quickly morphed into a grin that I’m sure would scare even me if I were to look in a mirror.
The man gulped, tears streaming down his face. I reached up to grab a clump of his greasy hair and tilted his head. He didn’t bother resisting as my mouth clamped onto his neck and my teeth slid into his skin.
As I drained the essence from his body, he slumped with a sigh, breathing his last breath. My sight drifted to Benjamin where he held his hunter up like a ragdoll in his embrace. Kat appeared from the shadows, watching and waiting, sending a sense of impatience down the mental line.
I dropped m
y body at the same time as Benjamin. We grinned at each other and turned to Kat. My skin glowed ever so faintly, and I felt like I could take on the world. My very core vibrated with exhilaration.
“I know I should feel bad about killing again, especially since it’s against our rules to kill when feeding, but I just can’t seem to feel any remorse.”
“We use donors so this kind of thing doesn’t happen,” Kat said, “but as you know, it isn’t always possible to control our vampiric instincts. Sometimes killing is unavoidable.”
Benjamin nodded in agreement. “And sometimes, death is deserved. When this high wears off and you start to feel bad, just think of this as a service you performed for the safety of other women, and probably helpless farm animals.”
“Can we run?” I asked Kat. “I can’t go back like this. I need to burn off some energy.”
“Yes, I think that’s a good idea. Whatever is happening to you is leaking into me, making that feeding something… more.”
“I’m up for some frolicking.” Benjamin held his hand out to me.
I walked forward and took it, letting him lead me to where Kat stood.
Kat stared at me, studying me, and I let her. There wasn’t much she could do right now to dampen this high I felt. I could almost see the excess energy swirling in her glowing eyes. Benjamin’s glowed too, but not as bright. I wonder if Edgar is feeling this…
With a slow blink, Kat let go of whatever held her back, and I felt her presence amplify as she lowered her wall. She let out a rare laugh, then turned and raced away.
I looked at Benjamin, shocked. He grinned and dashed off. I threw back my head, laughing, then pushed off to a slow run.
Dropping all my walls and opening my senses, I let the energy of the forest flow through me. The faster I ran, the more I felt as if I were becoming one with my surroundings. The trees whispered in my ears, the heartbeat of sleeping creatures throbbed in my chest, and the very air I breathed burned with life.
As I caught up with, then passed, Kat and Benjamin, I marveled at how strange my life had become. I knew the earlier events had changed me and my connection with Kat. I didn’t know how or why, but that didn’t matter.
Witch Slap (Vamp Tales Book 4) Page 2
